Because there are so few participants this round, your commitment to the discussion is heightened. Eric is the only participant this round who also participated last round, so my expectations for his involvement are that much more heightened. As we’ve discussed in class, the use of blogs and wikis to facilitate learning is relatively new, and therefore, requires constant critical evaluation.
As the teacher, I know what I hope the use of the blogs and wikis can do, but what I am interested in is the ways in which students themselves see the usefulness of technology-aided classrooms. Here’s where you guys can not only participate as recipients of a crazy teacher’s ideas, but actually step in and help mold the way teachers in general will or will not use technology in the future. So, while your weekend requirement is two posts, I’d encourage you to post as many times as makes the discussion a success.
Here of some potential questions you might explore (of course, I also hope you will come up with some of your own):
Does having too few participants in a blog discussion make the use of blogs counterproductive? Should I create a minimum number of participants and disallow students from choosing the Mega challenge if I don’t get the minimum?
Does the blog allow students to participate in discussions differently than they do in class? Positive/negative implications?
Does use of the wiki encourage students to think about technology differently?
Does use of the wiki allow students to display their ideas in more advanced ways?
Does it raise a student’s motivation knowing that “the world-wide” community can potentially see his or her work?
Do students engage their parents in conversations about what they are doing in class more often because they can “showcase” their work to their parents?
Posted by Jenn Gutierrez 
